We 1 (4-08) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released April 29, 2008, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" call Dawn Keen at (202) 720-7621, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. National Weather Summary Volume 95, No. 18 April 20 - 26, 2008 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: Rain intensified across the upper Midwest, while several days of warm, dry weather graced the eastern Corn Belt. As a result, corn planting commenced across much of the eastern Corn Belt, while fieldwork remained at a standstill elsewhere in the Midwest. Meanwhile in the East, warm, dry weather for much of the week promoted a rapid pace of fieldwork and crop development. Showers overspread most of the East toward week's end; otherwise, rain was mostly confined to the Mid-Atlantic States early in the week. Farther west, the Plains experienced a variety of weather conditions. In the wake of a winter-like storm in central and western Montana, a substantial snow cover insulated winter wheat from a record-setting cold snap. Heavy snow also fell late in the week from parts of Nebraska into northern Minnesota. Other areas of the nation's mid-section received periodic showers and thunderstorms; rain was highly beneficial on the High Plains but maintained soggy conditions across the east-central and southeastern Plains. Elsewhere, cold weather threatened a variety of crops- including fruits, tree nuts, and winter grains-in parts of California and the Northwest. The cold snap, which brought freezes as far south as areas northwest of Los Angeles, peaked from April 19-21. Despite the Western chill, fieldwork advanced with few delays. Weekly temperatures ranged from 7 to 10 degrees F below normal in the Northwest, but averaged as much as 13 degrees F above normal in the Great Lakes and Northeast. Early in the week, record-setting cold gripped the northern High Plains and the Northwest. In central and western Montana, the cold weather trailed a major, late-season snow storm that dumped 15.1 inches of snow in Great Falls on April 19-20. Great Falls' 9.6-inch total on April 19 represented its greatest single-day snowfall so late in the year since April 27, 1989, when 10.3 inches fell. Meanwhile in Grangeville, ID, the season-to-date snowfall (through April 20) climbed to 70.0 inches, the highest total there since 1981-82. Grangeville's month-to-date snowfall reached 23.5 inches, eclipsing its April 1902 standard of 20.0 inches. In Washington, Spokane netted 2.3 inches of snow during the week, including a daily-record total of 1.3 inches on April 20. Elsewhere on April 20, a trace of snow was observed in locations such as Olympia, WA, Medford, OR, and Eureka, CA. Following the storm, Great Falls' temperatures dipped to daily-record levels on April 20 and 21 (-1 and -8 degrees F, respectively). Previously, Great Falls' latest sub-zero reading occurred on April 6, 1975, with a low of -6 degrees F. On April 21, readings of -2 degrees F in both Leadore, ID, and Drummond, MT, were the stations' lowest temperatures so late in the year. Leadore's latest sub-zero reading had been on April 12, 1999; Drummond had dipped to -1 degrees F on April 21, 1951. Farther west, daily-record lows in the West Coast States included 31 degrees F (on April 20) in Santa Maria, CA; 30 degrees F (on April 21) in Paso Robles, CA; and 25 degrees F (on April 21) in Wenatchee, WA. Incredibly, Santa Maria had not been below the freezing mark since December 22, when the low was also 31 degrees F. Temperatures near or slightly below freezing also affected parts of California's Sacramento Valley, where daily-record lows for April 20 included 31 degrees F in Redding and 32 degrees F in Stockton. Although a variety of California's crops-including fruits, nuts, and vegetables-were threatened by the freeze, fruit crops were among the greatest concerns in the Northwest with respect to freeze damage. Despite persistently cool weather since mid-March and slower- than-normal fruit development, Northwestern producers had already been occasionally using freeze-protection measures prior to the April 19-21 cold snap. In contrast, warmth became firmly established across the South and East. In New York, Buffalo (77 degrees F on April 22) posted its second daily-record high in 4 days. On April 23, Hattiesburg, MS (90 degrees F), also notched a daily-record high. After mid-week, Eastern daily-record highs included 79 degrees F (on April 24) at New York's JFK Airport; 77 degrees F (on April 25) at Watertown, NY; and 77 degrees F on April 26 at Camden, NY. During the first half of the week, significant precipitation outside of the Northwest was confined to the Mid-Atlantic region, with some locations netting more than 4 inches of rain. From April 20-23, Cape Hatteras, NC, received 6.24 inches, including daily-record totals on April 21 and 22 (2.00 and 2.04 inches, respectively). By Thursday, however, a series of disturbances arriving from the Northwest produced widespread precipitation from the Plains to the East Coast. On Thursday, daily-record rainfall totals included 1.90 inches in Waterloo, IA, and 1.49 inches in Imperial, NE. Heavy snow developed on April 24-26 from parts of Nebraska into Minnesota, resulting in late-season storm totals of 10.2 inches in International Falls, MN, and 19.0 inches in Watertown, SD. The storm also shattered numerous daily snowfall records in South Dakota, including 11.0 inches at Webster and 9.0 inches at Huron on April 25, followed by 17.0 inches at Clear Lake and 10.0 inches at Pickstown on the 26th. In addition to heavy snow, the storm system was responsible for a swath of severe weather from central Texas northeastward into Wisconsin and Michigan, with softball-sized hail reported outside of Temple, TX on April 25. Warm, mostly dry weather prevailed in Hawaii, where dryness and drought continued to gradually intensify. For the month-to-date through April 26, rainfall at the state's major observation sites ranged from 0.03 inch (2 percent of normal) at Kahului, Maui, and 5.85 inches (52 percent) at Hilo, on the Big Island. From January 1 - April 26, only 2.49 inches of rain (25 percent of normal) fell in Kahului. Farther north, most of Alaska experienced a warm week, with temperatures as much as 12 degrees F above normal across the mainland. However, colder air arrived toward week's end. From April 20-24, Fairbanks noted 5 consecutive days above 50 degrees F for the first time since September 11-15, 2007. Elsewhere, Valdez collected a daily-record high of 60 degrees F on April 23. A tremendous, late-season snow storm arrived across parts of south-central Alaska at week's end. On April 25-26, Anchorage received 17.2 inches of snow (1.49 inches of liquid equivalent). The 15.5-inch sum in Anchorage on April 25 was its third- highest daily total on record behind 22.0 inches on March 17, 2002, and 15.6 inches on December 29, 1955. National Weather Summary provided by USDA's World Agricultural Outlook Board. For more information, call (202) 720-2397. National Agricultural Summary April 21 - 27, 2008 Corn: Producers only planted 6 percent of the Nation's corn acreage during the week. At 10 percent complete, planting was 10 and 25 points behind last year and normal, respectively. The most significant activity was apparent in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee where 20 percent or more of intended acreage was planted. Progress was behind normal in most of the corn-producing States. In Colorado and Pennsylvania, however, planting was slightly ahead of last year and normal; and in Indiana and Michigan, planting was near last year's pace but behind when compared with normal. Planting progress in the Corn Belt advanced minimally in most areas due to excessive moisture. Progress lagged nearly 20 points or more behind normal throughout most of the Corn Belt with producers in Missouri delayed by 3 weeks as only 8 percent of the intended acreage has been seeded. Soybeans: Only 2 percent of the intended acreage was planted by week's end, lagging 1 point behind last year's pace, and 3 points behind the usual pace. Soybean planting was delayed in all States except Louisiana, where progress was ahead of last year and normal by 21 and 18 points, respectively. Elsewhere in the Delta, producers in Arkansas and Mississippi had planted 9 and 46 percent of their intended acreage, respectively, but progress was behind normal. Limited planting activity had occurred in Kentucky, Michigan, and North Carolina but planting had not begun in the Corn Belt and adjacent areas of the Great Plains. Winter Wheat: Fifteen percent of the crop was at or beyond the heading stage, compared with 24 percent last year and the 25 percent average. Heading was ahead of normal in California, Colorado, and North Carolina but was at or behind normal in all other States. The crop was most advanced in California, where 99 percent of the crop was at or beyond the heading stage. Elsewhere, significant heading was limited to fields in Arkansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Texas. One-fourth or more of the crop in these States headed during the week, except in Texas, where heading advanced 14 points. However, progress still lagged well behind normal throughout most of the Great Plains and Delta. Nationwide, 46 percent of the crop was rated good or excellent, up one point from last week. Cotton: Planting was 19 percent complete, 2 points ahead of last year but 3 points behind normal. Planting was most active in the Southeast, Southwest, and Louisiana during the week. Progress was behind normal in most States but was over 16 points ahead in California and Louisiana. In other areas of the Delta, planting was 14 points or more behind the 5-year average. In the west, planting was nearly complete in California and over half of the intended acreage was planted by the end of the week in Arizona. Planting slowly advanced to 21 percent complete in Texas, the same as the normal pace but slightly ahead of last year. Rice: Rice planted, at 44 percent, was behind last year and normal by 12 and 14 percent. Planting was nearly complete in Texas at 92 percent. Planting gained momentum in Arkansas, California, and Mississippi where progress advanced 21 points or more during the week. Planting in Missouri, at 9 percent complete, was 41 points behind normal and progress in Arkansas, at 37 percent, was 32 points behind normal. Twenty percent of the rice acreage had emerged by the end of the week, behind last year and normal by 10 and 12 percent, respectively. Rice emergence was behind due to planting delays in Arkansas, Missouri, and Mississippi. Emergence lagged the farthest behind in Arkansas, where only 6 percent of the crop had emerged 27 points behind normal. Sorghum: Sorghum seeding, at 27 percent complete, was 2 points behind last year but 1 point ahead of normal. Planting of nearly three-fourth's of the expected acreage had occurred in Louisiana, 9 points behind last year but 15 points ahead of normal. Planting in Texas was 65 percent complete, ahead of last year and normal by 4 and 11 points, respectively. Planting was also underway in Arkansas with 13 percent planted, significantly behind last year and normal by 62 and 46 points, respectively. Oklahoma producers had planted 5 percent of their crop, 20 points behind last year and 8 points behind the 5-year average. Elsewhere, producers had not begun planting. Small Grains: Thirty percent of the spring wheat acreage was seeded and 4 percent was emerged. Planting progress by week's end was ahead of last year's pace of 28 percent but was behind the 5-year average pace of 40 percent. When compared with the usual pace, all States were behind by 13 percent or more, except Montana and North Dakota where progress was at or ahead of the 5-year average pace. At least half of the intended acreage was seeded in Idaho, South Dakota, and Washington. Emergence of the crop was 21 points or more behind normal in Idaho, South Dakota, and Washington due to the planting delays but was no more than 7 points behind, elsewhere. The crop was just beginning to emerge in Minnesota, Montana, and North Dakota. Barley growers had sown 35 percent of their intended acreage, 2 and 4 points behind last year and normal, respectively. Planting was most active in Montana, advancing 17 points during the week, while North Dakota growers seeded 13 percent of their crop. Significant planting delays were evident in Minnesota and Washington as producers lagged over 24 points behind normal. Elsewhere, however, planting lagged only slightly behind normal in Idaho and was progressing at the normal pace in Montana and North Dakota. Six percent of the acreage had emerged, 7 and 6 points behind last year and normal, respectively. Emergence, which had begun in Idaho, Montana, and Washington, was behind last year and normal by 7 and 6 percent, respectively. Oat planting advanced to 54 percent complete, 2 points behind last year and 14 points behind the 5-year average pace. Emergence of the crop reached 33 percent, behind last year and normal by 1 and 9 points, respectively. More than half of the spring-seeded acreage was planted by week's end in Nebraska, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Progress was behind normal in all States except North Dakota and Pennsylvania. Progress lagged the most in Iowa and Minnesota with planting 40 points or more behind normal. Emergence was delayed in all States, with development significantly behind the 5-year average in the northern Corn Belt and adjacent areas of the Great Plains. Other Crops: Thirty-four percent of the Nation's sugarbeet intended acreage had been seeded, 12 and 20 points behind last year and normal, respectively. Planting rapidly advanced in Idaho and Michigan during the week as producers seeded over 30 percent of their intended acreage. This allowed them to catch up to or exceed the normal pace for the first time this season. Planting in Minnesota and North Dakota, at 10 and 11 points, respectively, was significantly behind last year and normal. Three percent of the Nation's peanuts were planted by week's end, the same as last year but 1 point behind the 5-year average. Oklahoma producers made the most progress with 11 percent of their crop planted, 4 and 1 point ahead of last year and normal. Elsewhere, planting activity was minimal with planting not yet underway in Texas and Virginia. Corn: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2003- State:Apr 27,:Apr 20,:Apr 27,: 2007 : 2008 : 2008 : 2007 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 17 6 14 15 IL : 6 1 29 55 IN : 11 0 10 30 IA : 3 0 12 33 KS : 18 8 26 45 KY : 31 11 54 64 MI : 12 1 7 17 MN : 1 0 20 27 MO : 8 4 41 66 NE : 9 2 13 21 NC : 70 43 84 78 ND : 3 1 7 15 OH : 9 0 15 31 PA : 19 9 6 14 SD : 4 1 6 10 TN : 50 17 78 79 TX : 66 62 69 73 WI : 1 0 9 12 : 18 Sts: 10 4 20 35 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 91% of last year's corn acreage. Soybeans: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2003- State:Apr 27,:Apr 20,:Apr 27,: 2007 : 2008 : 2008 : 2007 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 9 NA 12 20 IL : 0 NA 1 3 IN : 0 NA 1 6 IA : 0 NA 0 2 KS : 0 NA 0 2 KY : 2 NA 2 4 LA : 48 NA 27 30 MI : 1 NA 2 4 MN : 0 NA 1 1 MS : 46 NA 47 58 MO : 0 NA 3 5 NE : 0 NA 0 1 NC : 2 NA 1 2 ND : 0 NA 1 1 OH : 0 NA 3 9 SD : 0 NA 0 0 TN : 0 NA 4 3 WI : 0 NA 0 1 : 18 Sts: 2 NA 3 5 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 95% of last year's soybean acreage. Rice: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2003- State:Apr 27,:Apr 20,:Apr 27,: 2007 : 2008 : 2008 : 2007 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 37 16 61 69 CA : 23 2 25 10 LA : 86 78 78 80 MS : 58 32 56 64 MO : 9 2 45 50 TX : 92 *83 76 85 : 6 Sts : 44 26 56 58 -------------------------------------- * Revised. 1/ These 6 States planted 100% of last year's rice acreage. Rice: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2003- State:Apr 27,:Apr 20,:Apr 27,: 2007 : 2008 : 2008 : 2007 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 6 1 30 33 CA : 4 0 4 1 LA : 69 59 65 65 MS : 30 4 28 35 MO : 0 0 12 18 TX : 84 *72 56 72 : 6 Sts : 20 13 30 32 -------------------------------------- * Revised. 1/ These 6 States planted 100% of last year's rice acreage. Cotton: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2003- State:Apr 27,:Apr 20,:Apr 27,: 2007 : 2008 : 2008 : 2007 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 17 3 11 31 AZ : 53 40 51 55 AR : 8 5 13 17 CA : 96 82 94 67 GA : 6 1 3 10 KS : 0 0 0 0 LA : 49 18 17 33 MS : 7 1 11 29 MO : 5 2 20 21 NC : 6 3 7 12 OK : 2 0 1 3 SC : 6 0 3 7 TN : 2 0 4 6 TX : 21 19 18 21 VA : 9 0 16 20 : 15 Sts: 19 14 17 22 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 15 States planted 99% of last year's cotton acreage. Winter Wheat: Percent Headed, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2003- State:Apr 27,:Apr 20,:Apr 27,: 2007 : 2008 : 2008 : 2007 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 47 20 90 73 CA : 99 82 97 91 CO : 4 0 2 3 ID : 0 0 0 0 IL : 1 0 7 7 IN : 0 0 0 3 KS : 1 0 6 12 MI : 0 0 0 0 MO : 3 0 16 20 MT : 0 0 0 0 NE : 0 0 0 0 NC : 66 41 54 52 OH : 0 0 0 0 OK : 37 11 66 71 OR : 0 0 0 0 SD : 0 0 0 0 TX : 38 24 53 48 WA : 0 0 0 2 : 18 Sts: 15 7 24 25 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 90% of last year's winter wheat acreage. Oats: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2003- State:Apr 27,:Apr 20,:Apr 27,: 2007 : 2008 : 2008 : 2007 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : IA : 28 15 69 89 MN : 9 2 30 49 NE : 81 57 81 88 ND : 31 13 13 25 OH : 60 20 47 68 PA : 81 54 39 63 SD : 47 31 46 70 TX : 100 100 100 100 WI : 16 3 45 55 : 9 Sts : 54 42 56 68 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 9 States planted 66% of last year's oat acreage. Oats: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2003- State:Apr 27,:Apr 20,:Apr 27,: 2007 : 2008 : 2008 : 2007 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : IA : 5 3 18 48 MN : 0 0 1 13 NE : 28 14 38 51 ND : 0 0 0 2 OH : 8 1 5 23 PA : 16 5 8 20 SD : 10 5 15 28 TX : 100 100 100 100 WI : 3 0 2 12 : 9 Sts : 33 30 34 42 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 9 States planted 66% of last year's oat acreage. Spring Wheat: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2003- State:Apr 27,:Apr 20,:Apr 27,: 2007 : 2008 : 2008 : 2007 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 55 38 76 68 MN : 6 2 15 33 MT : 48 28 34 39 ND : 30 15 17 30 SD : 50 34 49 78 WA : 59 57 78 85 : 6 Sts : 34 20 28 40 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States planted 99% of last year's spring wheat acreage. Spring Wheat: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2003- State:Apr 27,:Apr 20,:Apr 27,: 2007 : 2008 : 2008 : 2007 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 16 NA 50 37 MN : 0 NA 1 7 MT : 2 NA 3 6 ND : 1 NA 0 5 SD : 11 NA 16 36 WA : 34 NA 39 55 : 6 Sts : 4 NA 6 12 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States planted 99% of last year's spring wheat acreage. Sorghum: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2003- State:Apr 27,:Apr 20,:Apr 27,: 2007 : 2008 : 2008 : 2007 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 13 7 75 59 CO : 0 0 1 2 IL : 0 0 1 5 KS : 0 0 0 2 LA : 74 60 83 59 MO : 0 0 8 14 NE : 0 0 0 0 NM : 0 0 1 0 OK : 5 2 25 13 SD : 0 0 0 0 TX : 65 63 61 54 : 11 Sts: 27 26 29 26 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 11 States planted 95% of last year's sorghum acreage. Barley: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2003- State:Apr 27,:Apr 20,:Apr 27,: 2007 : 2008 : 2008 : 2007 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 47 39 70 55 MN : 2 0 15 26 MT : 48 31 42 48 ND : 23 10 15 22 WA : 43 33 83 78 : 5 Sts : 35 22 37 39 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 5 States planted 82% of last year's barley acreage. Barley: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2003- State:Apr 27,:Apr 20,:Apr 27,: 2007 : 2008 : 2008 : 2007 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 18 NA 50 26 MN : 0 NA 1 5 MT : 6 NA 8 13 ND : 0 NA 0 2 WA : 17 NA 34 45 : 5 Sts : 6 NA 13 12 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 5 States planted 82% of last year's barley acreage. Peanuts: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2003- State:Apr 27,:Apr 20,:Apr 27,: 2007 : 2008 : 2008 : 2007 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 4 NA 7 6 FL : 7 NA 4 4 GA : 2 NA 2 3 NC : 2 NA 1 1 OK : 11 NA 7 10 SC : 1 NA 4 8 TX : 0 NA 2 3 VA : 0 NA 5 3 : 8 Sts : 3 NA 3 4 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 8 States planted 98% of last year's peanut acreage. Sugarbeets: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2003- State:Apr 27,:Apr 20,:Apr 27,: 2007 : 2008 : 2008 : 2007 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 92 61 97 92 MI : 85 37 65 75 MN : 10 1 27 42 ND : 11 3 36 38 : 4 Sts : 34 16 46 54 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 4 States planted 83% of last year's sugarbeet acreage. Winter Wheat: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States Week Ending Apr 27, 2008 -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 5 14 37 40 4 CA : 0 1 3 26 70 CO : 10 21 40 22 7 ID : 0 1 14 78 7 IL : 1 7 25 59 8 IN : 1 4 28 52 15 KS : 6 13 36 37 8 MI : 1 4 19 63 13 MO : 5 8 37 45 5 MT : 12 17 36 30 5 NE : 1 7 33 51 8 NC : 0 0 13 68 19 OH : 1 5 21 55 18 OK : 7 10 28 45 10 OR : 0 5 69 20 6 SD : 3 7 33 46 11 TX : 23 25 34 14 4 WA : 2 5 30 53 10 : 18 Sts : 8 13 33 37 9 : Prev Wk : 8 13 34 37 8 Prev Yr : 8 11 25 40 16 -------------------------------------- VP-Very Poor, P-Poor, F-Fair, G-Good, EX-Excellent. National crop conditions for selected States are weighted based on 2007 planted acres. Crop Progress and Condition Survey and Estimating Procedures Survey Procedures: Crop progress and condition estimates are based on survey data collected each week from early April through the end of November. The non-probability crop progress and condition surveys include input from more than 5,000 reporters whose occupations provide them opportunities to make visual observations and frequently bring them in contact with farmers in their counties. Based on standard definitions, these reporters subjectively estimate progress of farmers' activities and progress of crops through various stages of development. They also provide subjective evaluations of crop conditions. Most reporters complete their questionnaires on Friday or early Monday morning and submit them to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Field Offices in their States by mail, telephone, fax, e-mail, or through a secured internet website. A small number of reports are completed on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Regardless of when questionnaires are completed, reporters are asked to report for the week ending on Sunday. For reports submitted prior to the Sunday reference date, a degree of uncertainty is introduced by projections for weekend changes in progress and condition. By the end of the 2001 season, nearly two-thirds of the data were being submitted through the internet website. As a result, about one-half of all data are submitted on Monday morning, significantly reducing projection uncertainty. Reporters are sent written reporting instructions at the beginning of each season and are contacted periodically to ensure proper reporting. Terms and definitions of crop stages and condition categories used as reporting guidelines are available on the NASS website at: www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/National_Crop_Progress/terms_definitions.asp. Estimating Procedures: Reported data are reviewed for reasonableness and consistency by comparing with data reported the previous week and data reported in surrounding counties for the current week. Each State Field Office summarizes the reported data to district and State levels, weighting each county's reported data by NASS county acreage estimates. Summarized indications are compared with previous week estimates, and progress items are compared with earlier stages of development and historical averages to ensure reasonableness. Weather events and reporter comments are also taken into consideration. State estimates are submitted to the Agricultural Statistics Board (ASB) along with supporting comments, where they are compared with surrounding States and compiled into a National level summary by weighting each State by its acreage estimates. Revision Policy: Progress and condition estimates in the Crop Progress report are released after 4:00 pm ET on the first business day of the week. These estimates are preliminary and subject to corrections or updates in the Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin that is released after 12:00 pm ET on the second business day of the week. These estimates are subject to revision the following week. Crop Progress and Condition tables expected next week: Barley - Planted, Emerged Corn - Planted, Emerged Cotton - Planted Oats - Planted, Emerged, Condition Pasture and Range Condition Peanuts - Planted Rice - Planted, Emerged Sorghum - Planted Soybeans - Planted Spring Wheat - Planted, Emerged Sugarbeets - Planted Winter Wheat - Headed, Condition ACCESS TO REPORTS!! For your convenience, there are several ways to obtain NASS reports, data products, and services: INTERNET ACCESS All NASS reports are available free of charge on the worldwide Internet. For access, connect to the Internet and go to the NASS Home Page at: www.nass.usda.gov. E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTION All NASS reports are available by subscription free of charge direct to your e-mail address. Starting with the NASS Home Page at www.nass.usda.gov, under the right navigation, Receive reports by Email, click on National or State. 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